Six-time Canary Wharf Classic champion Nick Matthew has been forced to pull out of the 2018 edition of the PSA M100 tournament due to a hamstring injury.

The 37-year-old, who will retire at the end of this season, is a crowd favourite at London’s East Wintergarden and was in line to make his final appearance at the prestigious tournament but will now miss out on defending his title.

“It’s with a heavy heart I’ve decided today to withdraw from the Canary Wharf Classic,” said Matthew. “It is one of my favourite tournaments on the Tour, the atmosphere is second to none and I’ve always has a fantastic welcome in London, which has led to some memories to cherish on court.

“However, I felt an old hamstring injury resurface during the National Championships final and, with Chicago [the Windy City Open] last week, I haven’t had the necessary time to fully shake it off.

“With the Commonwealth Games in April fast approaching, I have been advised by my team to lean on the side of caution and make sure I’m fully recovered and prepared for the Gold Coast.

“I wish [Tournament Promoter] Tim Garner and all of the players the best of luck with the event. I know the tournament will continue to go from strength to strength and I am gutted I can’t be there this time.”

Matthew’s withdrawal means that Egypt’s Tarek Momen replaces him as the number four seed and will take on a qualifier, while Matthew’s compatriot – World No.17 Daryl Selby – moves up to the number eight seeded position and he will play Australia’s Cameron Pilley.

Miguel Angel Rodriguez in action against Max Lee in Chicago

Meanwhile, Colombia’s former World No.4 Miguel Angel Rodriguez, who is exciting form in Chicago earlier this week, moves into the main draw from qualifying and he will go head-to-head with World Championship runner-up Marwan ElShorbagy in round one.

The 2018 Canary Wharf Classic will be held between March 5-9 and World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy will head up the draw. Live coverage from the tournament will be shown on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only), while the semi-finals and final will also be shown live on mainstream broadcasters such as BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia, Astro and more.

This year’s instalment will become the first ranking PSA World Tour event to be played using a best-of-three games scoring format up until the semi-finals and final, where it will revert to the traditional best-of-five scoring.

Tickets for the 2018 Canary Wharf Classic are sold out, but the tournament have a waiting list, which can be joined by emailing [email protected]

More information on the tournament can be found on the Canary Wharf Classic website: www.canarywharfsquash.com

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